Alarm monitoring

If you buy a house fitted with a monitored alarm that you don't want, make sure the system is disabled.

If it’s not, it may keep automatically calling the security company – and this can interfere with your broadband connection as well as being a general nuisance.

Before settlement day, the previous owner should have cancelled the contract with the security company and had the auto-dial feature disabled. Sometimes this second stage doesn't happen and the alarm system carries on dialling the security company – even though the new owner has no contract with them.

Some systems allow the auto-dialling to be disabled over the phone, with the security company talking the homeowner through the process. Sometimes a visit from a technician is required.